The present invention relates generally to two embodiments of a gravity feed shelf organizer system for use in a wide variety of product merchandising display units including refrigerated display coolers commonly employed by supermarkets, convenience stores, and other wholesale and retail outlets and, more particularly, to various embodiments of a floor member and associated divider members and front wall member which are capable of being assembled so as to accommodate most shelf widths and any size and shape of product including heavier packaged products. The shelf system includes divider members engageable with the various embodiments of the floor member which can be selectively positioned and adjusted to form product guide channels of varying width to accommodate products of varying sizes and shapes, and it includes a front wall member which is likewise engageable with the various embodiments of the floor member and acts as a momentum arrestor to prevent product from toppling over the front wall of the shelf system. The present shelf system can be conveniently supported in a flat horizontal position or in an inclined position for gravity feeding products positioned thereon and represents a one-inventory solution to a particular user's specific needs and applications.
One problem that is typically associated with storing and displaying shelved products in a gravity feed shelf is the difficulty that heavier packaged products have in sliding down the shelf when the product is either being stocked, or when a consumer selects from the shelf a front product and other rear products are to slide down the shelf to replace the selected front product. For example, packaged products such as a six-pack or twelve-pack of beer or soda may have trouble sliding down the shelf to be at the front of the shelf, the position where consumers could more easily select the packaged product from the shelf.
Another problem typically associated with storing and displaying shelved products for sale to customers in a retail store setting is the inefficient use of available shelf space and the inability of the merchant to constantly provide an attractive arrangement of shelved products which are readily visible and easily accessible to the customer. Typically, articles of merchandise, especially products such as numerous bottled and canned soft drink products which are packaged in a wide variety of different container sizes and shapes, are randomly distributed and stacked in segregated areas on a shelf or other display device in such a manner that the selection of a particular item, access to that particular item, and the removability of that item from the shelf or display device by the customer becomes, at times, difficult if not impossible. In the present day marketing of consumer products, it is important to maintain the display of products in a suitable and organized fashion.
As a result, a wide variety of display devices and shelf organizers have been designed and manufactured for use in merchandising shelved products to consumers, and such devices are commonly utilized by supermarkets, convenience stores, grocery outlets, fast food outlets, and a wide variety of other wholesale and retail stores to show and focus attention on the particular products displayed therein. Although various shelf organizer constructions are known and have been utilized to alleviate some of the aforementioned problems associated with merchandising shelved products to customers, the known devices generally have limitations. For example, the known shelf organizers often fail to facilitate the movement of heavier product down the shelf. The known devices also have limitations in their ability to be compatible with shelves of varying width and length and, more importantly, they likewise have limitations in their ability to easily and quickly adjust the segregated product channels associated therewith to accommodate products of varying shapes and sizes so that a wider variety of different products may be stocked and dispensed from the same units.